Qualla: Thula Thula

Thula Thula: Introduction

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

In 1999, a herd of wild elephants arrived at Thula Thula in a steel truck, destined to be shot if no one would take them. The conservationist Lawrence Anthony accepted them, built a boma to hold them, and watched in dismay as they immediately broke through the electric fence and disappeared into the Zululand bush. What happened next became one of the most remarkable stories in modern conservation: Anthony spent days and nights at the fence line, talking to the matriarch Nana in low, steady tones, willing her to trust him. She did. The herd came back, and over the following years they formed a bond with Anthony so deep that when he died in 2012, the elephants walked in a solemn procession to his house - something they had never done before - and stood there for two days.

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Thula Thula: A King's Hunting Ground

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The name means 'peace and tranquility' in Zulu, and these rolling hills of KwaZulu-Natal earned it centuries before the reserve existed. This was the private hunting ground of King Shaka, the warrior who forged the Zulu Nation in the early nineteenth century. It was here, along t...

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Thula Thula: The Elephant Whisperer

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Lawrence Anthony was not a scientist. He was a conservationist with a stubborn streak and an unshakeable belief that animals could be reached through patience. When the rogue elephants from Mpumalanga arrived - a matriarch named Nana, the fierce Frankie, and the rest of their tra...

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Thula Thula: After the Whisperer

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Anthony died on 2 March 2012. Within hours, the elephant herd - which had been grazing in a distant part of the reserve - began walking toward the Anthony family compound. They arrived in two groups, led by Nana and Frankie, and stood vigil near the house for two days before slow...

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Thula Thula: The Wild Kingdom

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Thula Thula is part of the Royal Zulu Biosphere, and its 4,500 hectares shelter far more than elephants. Cape buffalo graze alongside southern white rhinoceros. South African giraffes browse the acacias while zebra and wildebeest move across the grasslands below. African leopards...

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